


Out Sick

by JamieHasCatEyes



Series: Sharing Germs [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien has a cold, F/M, Gen, Illness, One Shot, ladrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-02-01 05:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21406162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamieHasCatEyes/pseuds/JamieHasCatEyes
Summary: When Adrien is forced to stay home for a third consecutive day, Marinette takes it upon herself to write his notes for class.Unfortunately, someone wants to get in her way.Prequel to Now You're Sick
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Sharing Germs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1548940
Comments: 14
Kudos: 280





	Out Sick

**Author's Note:**

> I have a cold right now, and I'm SUFFERING.  
This may, or may not, get a companion piece, depending on feedback.  
Cross-posted on Tumblr.

Marinette gazed anxiously around the classroom as she chewed her lip, but Adrien was not in his usual seat. Instead, Nino sat alone, listening with his headphones on while his head bobbed with the rhythm.

She sighed; Adrien was off sick again.

‘This is the third time this week,’ she whispered.

Alya patted her shoulder. ‘I’m sure he’ll be back soon. It’s just a cold.’

She nodded mournfully, then dragged her feet as she made her way to her seat. She sat heavily, then began taking her things from her bag.

Lila entered with a smile and a cheery wave. ‘Good morning, everyone.’

She got an equally amicable response from everyone except Marinette, who rolled her eyes. Alya dug her elbow into Marinette’s side, but she just shoved her back.

Madame Caline Bustier then arrived, prompting Lila to take her seat.

‘Quiet down, students. We have a lot to cover, so pay attention please.’

Lila put her hand up. At Caline’s acknowledgement, she said, ‘since Adrien’s out sick again, should I continue to take notes for him? It would be terrible if his grades dropped.’

Caline nodded. ‘Yes, thank you Lila, that’s very kind of you.’

‘Won’t that exacerbate the arthritis in your wrist?’ Marinette asked. ‘We wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.’

She hadn’t meant for anyone to hear the venomous comment, but they did, and it seemed as if her spitefulness had gone undetected. Caline furrowed her brow in concern and nodded.

‘Marinette makes a good point,’ she agreed.

‘It’s really no trouble at all,’ Lila argued. ‘The pain hasn’t been so bad lately, and I’ve been taking notes for him all week. Besides, Gabriel knows me; I’m practically a part of the family.’

Marinette gritted her teeth against the unsubtle dig and clenched her fists. Caline however, grew adamant.

‘I’m sorry, Lila, but I won’t risk your health. Marinette, could you take Adrien’s notes today? I’m sure Monsieur Agreste will understand.’

‘Yes, Ma’am,’ she replied automatically.

It was a small, petty victory, but she would take it. It warmed Marinette from the inside out knowing that Lila was scowling fiercely at her in impotent anger.

Setting the mean thought aside, she concentrated diligently on taking the best notes she could. Adrien was a brilliant student, so anything less than his genius standards would reflect poorly on her, lowering his and his father’s opinion of her.

_Not that I really care what Monsieur Agreste thinks of me_, she told herself_. Ok, that’s a lie – I care a lot. But that’s only because I want to be a designer one day. It’s purely professional, that’s all_.

Satisfied with her justifications, she returned her attention to the lecture.

* * *

When the lunch bell finally rang, Marinette’s hand was achy and cramping. She clenched and opened her fist repeatedly, then massaged her palm. Whining softly, she packed her belongings and slung her bag over her shoulder. As she made her way to the library, she wondered if she should have let Lila take the notes.

After photocopying the required pages, she then went down to the locker room, wondering whether she should risk eating in the cafeteria, or if it would be better to go home.

Alya approached to nudge her arm. ‘You taking the morning’s notes to Adrien now?’

Marinette blinked at her. ‘Why would I do it now? It’d make more sense to deliver everything at the end of the day.’

‘Yeah,’ Alya drawled with a shrug, ‘but didn’t you wonder where Lila’s been going during lunch the past couple of days? Apparently, she was taking her morning notes to Adrien.’

Marinette hated that this was exactly what she needed to hear to get her moving. She knew her rivalry with Lila was childish, but she refused to let the other girl get the upper hand. Inwardly, she cursed her pride as she marched out of the school – it made her predictable, and as vindictive and petty as Lila.

* * *

As she neared the Agreste estate’s wrought iron gates, Marinette swallowed nervously. She was still reeling after her last visit, and was keenly aware of the fact that she was not as familiar with the Agreste household as Lila.

‘You can do it, Marinette,’ Tikki cheered from her purse.

‘I just don’t know if I should,’ she murmured. ‘Lila is already on a first name basis with Monsieur Agreste, while I can barely even speak to Adrien. Maybe I should come back later.’

Without warning, Tikki darted out to press the doorbell, before diving back into the purse. ‘I refuse to let you lose to that conniving, two-faced – ’

She was cut short when the camera popped out on its articulated stem.

‘Yes?’ came Nathalie’s dispassionate voice.

Marinette waved feebly back. ‘Hello, I’m Marinette. I’m in Adrien’s class.’

‘I remember,’ Nathalie interrupted her.

‘Right. Well, I have this morning’s notes.’ She ferreted through her bag, then triumphantly held up the stack of photocopies.

‘Put it in the box,’ Nathalie instructed.

She did so, then waved again as the camera vanished behind the wall and the letter box snapped shut once more.

‘Tikki,’ she hissed, equal parts irate and mortified.

‘What?’

‘I was not prepared. Why would you do that?’

‘I was just giving you a little push. Besides, it all worked out in the end.’

Defeated, Marinette groaned and turned around, deciding in that instant to have lunch at home.

* * *

The afternoon passed much like the morning had, resulting in Lila sulking at the back of the room. Marinette, however, was unrepentant.

_Lila has already monopolised enough of Adrien’s time_, she thought bitterly.

So, she focussed as hard as she did that morning, producing detailed, neatly written notes for Adrien’s perusal. It was with a certain sense of achievement when she finished the last line, and began packing her things. She left the room with a silly grin stretching her cheeks until they ached.

_Adrien’s going to praise me for my intelligence, and be so impressed, he’ll ask to study together. We’ll have regular study dates, that’ll turn into real dates without us even realising, and before we know it, we’ll be married_.

She had to stifle an excited squeal as she stood before the photocopier.

Just as she was losing herself in dreams of wedded bliss, her phone chirped with an incoming message. It was from Sabine, asking her to return home and help in the bakery.

Marinette’s head fell back with a despairing groan, then she flinched as the librarian shushed her. She whispered an apology, then tiptoed away.

* * *

It was already dark when she was finally released from her duties. Marinette trudged to her room feeling physically and mentally exhausted, then flopped on her belly across her chaise. She had fallen into a light doze when Tikki began tugging her ear.

‘You can’t go to sleep now,’ she told her.

‘Why not?’

‘You still have to deliver those notes to Adrien.’

Marinette sat up with a start, only to fall off the chaise with a thud.

‘I can’t believe I forgot,’ she wailed. ‘Tikki, _transforme moi_.’

Before Tikki could utter a protest, Ladybug was swinging out of the access hatch, and across the rooftops, the photocopies safely encased in her yoyo.

She ran and jumped faster than she ever had before, until she stood panting on the wall of the Agreste estate. She could see into Adrien’s room, where he sat at his desk, scrolling through something on his computer.

Too wound up to let her nerves get in the way, she leapt from the brick wall, to collide into his window pane with a dull thump. Her arms windmilling, she fought to keep her balance, until the pane swung in unexpectedly. Ladybug fell inside with an inelegant screech, to land on top of Adrien.

‘Ow,’ he moaned, rubbing his head.

‘I am so sorry,’ she gasped as she clambered off of him. Offering him a hand up, she asked, ‘are you ok?’

He grinned as he accepted her help. ‘I’m great.’

Ladybug squinted at him. His voice was hoarse and his nose was red, revealing his true state of being.

‘You don’t sound fine.’

He waved off her concern. ‘It’s just a little head cold. It’ll clear up in a few days. So, what brings you here, Ladybug?’

‘Oh, that’s right.’ Unhooking her yoyo from her hips, Ladybug opened it to retrieve the photocopies. ‘A mutual friend asked me to give you these. She would’ve done it herself, but time got away from her.’

Adrien took the proffered sheets with a frown. ‘This isn’t Lila’s handwriting.’

Ladybug felt her mind go blank for a moment. ‘What? No, Marinette wrote this. She said she sent you other notes at lunchtime. Didn’t you get them?’

Adrien’s expression cleared. ‘Oh, I was wondering about those too. Marinette wrote all this?’

‘Yeah. Really nice of her, isn’t it?’

She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

‘Yeah, she’s an awesome friend. I wonder what happened to Lila though.’

Ladybug felt herself deflate. ‘I heard she was complaining about a sore wrist.’

‘I see. That’s too bad.’

His tone was so bland, she wasn’t sure if he was being sincere or not. He knew Lila was a liar, so it was possible he wasn’t taken in by the flimsy, and slightly modified excuse.

Ladybug decided to change the subject. ‘So, when do you think you’ll be able to return to school?’

Adrien shrugged. ‘I’m still pretty sore and congested, so probably not until some time next week. Until then, I’m to stay here and rest.’

‘Do your friends come to visit?’

She knew it was a loaded and inappropriate question, but Ladybug wasn’t supposed to have intimate knowledge about his home life. Mercifully, Adrien didn’t seem to take offense.

‘No, Father has forbidden all visitors. Even on a good day, he’s reluctant to let people inside.’

Ladybug nodded knowingly as they moved to sit on the lounge.

‘I heard your father was a bit of a di, uh, I mean, a tyran, I mean.’ She stopped herself, and drew in a deep breath. ‘I’ve heard things.’

Adrien smothered a grin with his hand. ‘It’s ok, you can say it. Father is a paranoid, overprotective buzzkill. But, as much as I’d like to have people over, I don’t want them to get sick. I’d feel even worse if I got my friends sick.’

He smiled at the papers in his hand, before placing them on the coffee table.

‘Well, it sure sounds like your friends miss you a lot,’ she told him.

He looked up at her with something she couldn’t identify in his eyes.

‘Even Marinette?’ he asked.

Taken aback, she replied, ‘of course.’

He sagged as he released a sigh. ‘Thank goodness. I’ve been wondering lately if I’ve done something to upset her.’

‘What? No,’ Ladybug yelped. ‘Why would you think that?’

He shrugged and rubbed his arm. ‘I don’t know, it was just a feeling I had. When I asked Nino, and her, neither of them could give me a straight answer. I’ve been left in this weird limbo ever since.’

Appalled, Ladybug surged forward to grip his hands. ‘Of course she likes you. She wrote those notes for you, didn’t she? She even asked me to bring them to you. I think you’re very important to her.’

After her impassioned speech, Ladybug fell silent, hoping for and dreading that instant when he realised what she truly meant. However, for better or worse, her real feelings remained unknown.

Adrien smiled in relief. ‘I suppose you’re right. Thanks for telling me, Ladybug. Sometimes, it takes an objective third party to point out the obvious.’

In the privacy of her own mind, she mourned the lost opportunity, but smiled for his benefit.

‘You’re very welcome. I should get going; it’s late and you need to rest.’

She stood up and was nearing the window, when Adrien grabbed her wrist.

‘Wait,’ he said, as she spun back to him.

He was closer that she’d expected. She stared into his eyes as they caught the light, and shimmered like fireflies in a meadow. Unconsciously, she leaned closer, just as he closed the distance.

The kiss was light and chaste, but it stole Ladybug’s breath away. She lingered, her lips barely touching his, as she savoured the moment.

Too soon, he drew back, his face flushed. ‘Thanks for dropping by.’

‘Of course. Get well soon, Adrien.’

Her face flaming, she leapt out his window, and almost flew home.

* * *

The following morning, there was a tickle in her throat, and she couldn’t stop sneezing.

‘I regret nothing,’ she snuffled.


End file.
